Anyway, today's article of interest is on the dietary guidelines, the advice our government gives us on food and exercise:

...The new guidelines arrive after a year of research by a government-appointed advisory panel, intense food-industry lobbying and extensive comment from the public. The guidelines, which hew closely to the draft put out by the advisory panel in August, are the basis for the school lunch and other federal food programs, and are widely hoped to be a vehicle for stemming America's growing problem of obesity...

In a move that was a major win for the dairy industry but angered some health experts, the guidelines also recommend that everyone except small children consume three cups of milk or its dairy equivalent a day, up from two to three servings per day. Some nutritionists have pointed out that a diet high in dairy products has been linked to an increased risk for ovarian and prostate cancers.

When it comes to added sugar, the 2005 guidelines stop short of directly addressing soft-drink consumption, which has been widely blamed for contributing to the country's obesity epidemic. Instead, they tell Americans "to chose and prepare foods and beverages with little added sugars or caloric sweeteners" and suggest various limits as part of Americans "discretionary calories."

While an earlier draft of the guidelines had recommended that Americans should limit their daily intake of trans fats -- the most vilified of all fats -- to less than 1% of all calories, the final guidelines don't put a cap on the amount of trans fat Americans should eat. They say only to consume less than 10% of calories from saturated fats, and to keep trans fats as low as possible. Trans fats are found in hydrogenated vegetable oils that often are used to make snack and fried foods or margarine...